Planoflrapit co



A. L. WARD.

STRAP SECURING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYI3.19I8.

1,316,126. PatentedSept. 16,1919.

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r 1 I I 1 gr 0 I INVENTOR I ATTORNEY THE COLUMBIA PLANooRAPlI c0.,WASHINGTON. I}! C.

A. L. WARD.

STRAP SECURING APPARATUS. APPLICATION min JULY 13. 19m.

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Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

ALEXANDER L. "WARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Application filed July 13, 1918. Serial No. 244,702.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ALEXANDER L. WARD, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new anduseful Improvements in StrapeSecuring Apparatus, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for securing band straps undertension, about boxes, bales and other containers. vice is to be used inconnection with a metal band or strap, one end of which is secured to asuitable buckle or securing device. The strap is passed around the box,or other article to be bound, and its opposite end passed through thebuckle and the strap put under desired tension after which the lastnamed end of the strap is secured to the buckle. My present inventionrelates to a device which may be setupon the top of a packing box or thelike and which is adapted to be secured to one end of the strap,preferably by engaging the buckle or securing device to which that endof the strap has previously been fastened, the other end portion of thestrap passing through the frame of the apparatus, to which it isclamped.

This end portion of the strap passes from the point at which it isclamped to the tensioning apparatus, to the buckle referred to, throughthe opening in which it is extended. The device embodies a manuallyoperated mechanism, such as a pawl, anoperating lever therefor and aratchet bar which engages the buckle so that operation of the pawl pullsup on the buckle and draws the same toward the device, thestrap'accordingly being tensio-ned all the Way around the box to thepoint at which it is clamped to the tensioning device. From this point,which is quite close to the buckle, the end portion of the strap extendsfreely through the opening in the buckle, the buckle moving relativelythereto as it is drawn toward the device by the pawl and ratchetarrangement. "When the strap has been sufficiently tensioned, the lastnamed end of the strap is bent back over the buckle and over itself andis secured to the buckle, after which thedevice is unclamped from thestrap and removed. My device is particularly designed for use insecuring strapsor bands by means of the form of buckle or securingdevice described and claimed in my application im provement in bandsecuring devices, Serial No. 242,581, filed June 29,, 1918, although Mydeit is obvious that other forms of buckles of the same generalcharacter may be used in connection With my present, device. The objectsof my invention are to produce simple and efficient devices of thecharacter referred to. v

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had,attention is hereby directed to theaccompanying drawings forming partofthis application and illustrating. certain improvements inmy invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improveddevice mounted inoperative position upon the top of a packing box, Fig.2 is a top plan view of the device on an enlarged scale, Fig. 3 is anenlarged side elevation of the device viewed from the opposite side tothat shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical section taken uponline a, 4 of Fig. 2 and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are cross sections takenrespectively on lines 5--5, 6 6, and 77 of Fig. 4:.

Referring to the drawings the device embodies a frame lhaving ahorizontal base portion 2 adapted to. rest on the top of the packing boxor other container to be strapped. The frame member 1 has a verticalside portion 3 rising from the base portion 2 and a horizontal topportion a extending above the base portion 2'. A ratchet bar 5 extendshorizontally through the space thus provided between the bottom portion2, side portion 3 and top portion 4 of the frame. Rollers 6, 7 and 8 areprovided on which the ratchet bar is mounted for movement.

Roller 6 is mounted on a shaft 9 which extends through and has a bearingat one end in the side portion 3 of frame 1 and at the other end in aside member 10 which is fitted mounted in the side portion 3 and sideframe member 10, and roller 7 is similarly formed and mounted. M e

The ratchet bar 5 has a forwardly ere;

i my

tending portion which. is bent downwardly and provided with a forked end12,12, the ends of arms 12, 12 being bent downwardly and then.rearwar'dly asshown at 13. The:

hooks thus formed are adapted to be slipped over the edge or shoulderportion 14 of the buckle shown at 15, Fig. 2. End portion 16 of the bandstrap is secured to the buckle 15 as by passing the same through theslot 17 in the buckle andbending it back upon itself, after which thebent back portion may be secured to the body of the strap by means ofthe arms 18 of a strip which is bent around the strap and its bent backportion. The strap extends around the box and its opposite end portion16 passes over the bottom portion 2 of the frame 1 of the device between the side portion 3 thereof and the side frame member 10, andthence extends to the buckle 15 and up through the slot 17. When thestrap has been sufficiently tensioned by drawing up on the end 16thereof the end of the portion 16 which extends up through slot 17 willbe bent back upon itself and secured in that position. This may beaccomplished by providing the bent back portion of the strap with holessuitably alined to register with the prongs 19 extending upwardly fromthe buckle, the arm portions 18 then being bent over the strap and vpressed down to cause the prongs 19 to extend through the registeringopenings in the arms 18 this being the buckle construction described inmy application referred to above.

The side frame member 10 doesnot extend down quite to the upper surfaceof the bottom frame portion 2 so that the strap portion 16 may beslipped into position through this opening, when the device ispositioned for operation. The strap is first clamped against the bottomframe portion 2 by means of the block 20 which is mounted in positionbeloW ratchet bar 5 and between the side frame portions 3 and 10. Ashaft 21 extends through block 20 and has bearings in side frameportions 3 and 10, the shaft being provided with a cam or eccentricportion 22 between side frames 3 and 10. The shaft 21 is threaded at oneend and car: ries a nut 23 which bears against the outer surface offrame member 10. At its opposite end the shaft extends with a reducedportion 21 beyond the side frame 3 this portion 21 being squared andcarrying a hand lever 24. A nut 25 is mounted on shaft 21 beyond thehand lever. The hand lever is adapted to swing through an arc ofapproximately 180 degrees to clamp or unclamp the strap 16 the leverbeing shown in the drawings in its clamping position. The clamping block20 is provided at its ends with cut-out portions 26, 26 adapted toengage the under sides of rollers 7 and 8 when the strap is unclamped,to aline block 2 0 horizontally in raised position so that the strap maybe passed under the same.

The side frame member 10 may be provided at its upper edge with:ashoulder 2? to bear against the edge portion of the top of the framemember 4. A number of screws 28, shown in Fig. 2, may also be extendeddown through the top frame portions 4 into side frame 10 to secure thesame in position, and side frame 10 is further held in position bybearing against theshoulder 12 of bushing 11 as shown in Fig. 6.

Ratchet bar 5 is operated by a pawl 29 pivoted on a stud 30 carried bythe side frames of a bifurcated operating lever 31 the lower ends ofwhich are rotatably mounted on the shaft 9 outside the side framemembers 3 and 10. Shaft 9 is provided with an enlarged head 32 at oneend between which and side member 3 the adjacent arm of the bifurcatedlever 31 is mounted, shaft 9 being provided at the opposite end with anut 33 and a washer between which and the adjacent side frame 10 theadjacent arm of the bifurcated lever is mounted.

A gravity pawl 34 is pivoted on pin 36 'at the end of the deviceopposite from that at which the operating lever 31 is shown, this pawlcoacting with the teeth of the ratchet bar to prevent return motion ofthe latter. Pawl 34 is preferably mounted between a pair of screws 36,36 which extend through the upper side portions of the frame, the facesof pawl 34 being cupped out to receive the ends of the screws 36, asuitable recess being formed in the upper portion of the frame in whichpawl 34 is pivotally mounted.

The operation of the device will now be clear. The end 16 of the strapbeing secured to buckle 15, as described, the frame 1 is mounted on topof the box, or other article to be strapped, and the hook end 13 of theratchet bar slipped around the shoulder or edge portion 14 of thebuckle, after which the strap is extended around the box and itsopposite end portion, 16 threaded through the frame of the device abovethe bottom portion 2 thereof and between the side portions 3 and 10, thecam lever 24 being in a position about 180 degrees distant from thatillustrated in the drawings so that the block 20 is raised. The endportion 16 of the strap is then extended up wardly through the slot 17in buckle 15 as is indicated in Fig. 1. The strap is then firmly clampedto the apparatus by cam lever 24 in the position shown, in which block20 firmly clamps the strap against the bottom portion 2 of the device.Hand lever 31 is then operated to force the ratchet bar toward thedevice and to accordingly tension the strap from the buckle 15 all theway around the box to the point at which the strap is clamped to thedevice. During this movement of the ratchet bar, the end portion 16 ofthe strap will move freely through the slot 17 of the buckle as thebuckle moves over the same toward the frame 1. When the strap has beensufficiently tensioned the end portion 16 of the strap, which extendsthrough the slot of the buckle, is bent back upon itself, holes areformed therein through which the prongs 19 of the buckle extend and thearms 18 are pressed down over the strap to secure this end portion ofthe strap firmly to the buckle as previously described, the device forpunching the holes in the bent back portion of the strap, and pressingthe arms 18 down upon the same, not being illustrated herem. The camlever 24 is then thrown into releasing position and the device is movedlaterally to free the same from the strap, the strap moving out throughthe space indicated in the drawings below the side frame member 10.

It will be obvious that my invention is not strictly limited to theexact details of the construction described but that all reasonableequivalents are included herein.

What I claim is;

1. Apparatus for securing band straps under tension about boxes,comprising a frame having a bottom portion with a flat base, adapted toset on a box, and vertical side portions above said bottom portion, aratchet-bar slidably mounted therein, between said side portions andabove said bottom portion, and having a hooked end adapted to engage theedge of a buckle to which one end of a strap is secured, said framehaving an opening therethrough, below said bar and above said bottomportion, for the passage of the other end portion of the strap extendingto the buckle, said bottom portion having a horizontal upper surfacebetween said side portions, means for clamping the strap against theupper surface of said bottom portion, in said opening, and a pawl andoperating device there for for operating said ratchet-bar to draw up onthe buckle and strap.

2. Apparatus for securing band straps under tension about boxes,comprising a frame having a bottom portion, with an upper surface, and abottom surface adapted to set on a box, and two side portions, one ofwhich extends not quite down to the upper surface of the bottom portion,a ratchet-bar, slidably mounted between said side portions, and abovesaid bottom portion, and having an end portion extending beyond thesame, adapted to be secured to a strap end, space being provided abovethe bottom portion of the frame, and below said bar, parallel to saidbar, for the passage of the opposite strap end, a hand lever, pivoted tosaid frame, and a pawl for operating said ratchet-bar, pivoted to saidlever, a clamping block below said bar, having a flat lower surface,parallel to the upper surface of said bottom portion, for clamping theoppositeend portion of the strap upon the bottom portion of the frame,eccentric means supporting said block, and hand operated means tooperate said eccentric means to clamp and unclamp the strap.

3. Apparatus for securing band straps under tension about boxes,comprising a frame, having a bottom portion adapted to set on a box, abar mounted for horizontal movement through said frame above said bottomportion and having an end extending beyond said frame, and arranged tohook over a buckle to which one end of a strap is secured, a clampingblock below and in alinement with said bar and above said bottomportion, means for supporting the same in raised position so as to leavea space between said block and bottom portion and for forcing the samedown to press the opposite end portion of the strap against said bottomport-ion, means for alining said block horizontally when in raisedposition, and means for operating said bar to draw said buckle andattached strap end toward said frame.

4. Apparatus for securing band straps under tension about boxes,comprising a frame having a bottom portion adapted to set 'on a box,with side portions and a lengthwise opening between the same,antifriction bearing means, a ratchet bar mounted thereon for horizontalmovement in said opening and having an end extending beyond said frameand arranged to engage a buckle to which one end of a strap is secured,a hand lever, pivoted to said frame, and a pawl for operating saidratchet bar, pivoted to said lever, a clamping block arrangedhorizontally in said opening, directly below said bar and above saidbottom frame portion, for clamping the opposite end portion of the strapto the bottom portion of the frame, eccentric means supporting saidblock, and a hand lever to operate said eccentric means to clamp andunclamp the strap.

This specification signed and witnessed this 1st day of July, 1918.

Witnesses:

DYER SMITH, M. S. GANG.

topics or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

